Participants Feedback and Comments – Symposium on Universalizing the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC)

Participants listening at the Symposium. Front row: Dr. Tony Aidoo, Ghana’s Ambassador to the Netherlands; Evelyn A. Ankumah, Executive Director of AFLA; ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, Sam Sasan Shoamanesh,Senior Special Assistant to the ICC Prosecutor; Susana Caputi, Hon. Consul of the Plurinational State of Bolivia and Judge Ngoepe, Former Member of the African Court on Human and People’s Rights

Feedback and Comments
I thoroughly enjoyed the conference and again congratulate you on bringing together a wonderful group of people. I hope to have the privilege of working with you again in the future.

Kind regards,

Richard Goldstone
First Chief Prosecutor, ICTY & ICTR

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I am glad we were able to contribute to the success of this seminar. I am pleased particularly with the SGBC panel. I am being told that it was one of the best. :)-.

Regards,

Fatou Bensouda
Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC)

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The Symposium on Universalizing the Rome Statute that took place from 18 to 20 May in South Africa was successful. I was honored by your invitation that allowed me to attend it.

While waiting for the report on the symposium I express once again my congratulations and encouragements both to you, Madam Executive Director, and to all the staff members of Africa Legal Aid.

Salamata Sawadogo
Ambassador of Burkina Faso to South Africa; Former Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

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It was such a great pleasure and honour for me to have been afforded the opportunity to participate in your programmes. I find the discussions enriching and has immensely contributed to my growth in knowledge and understanding of international criminal justice.

I look forward to participating in your future activities and please keep up the good work in making our continent a better place. I believe slowly, step-by-step we are getting there.

My highest gratitude for having been offered the opportunity to contribute to the resounding success of the recent Symposium held in Johannesburg. AFLA is indeed spearheading the collective effort of the international civil society in bridging the gap between ICC and the African Continent and in hopefully making ICC a successful reality. I am confident that brighter days are ahead for AFLA in this on-going struggle for the worldwide promotion of international criminal justice.

May God continue blessing AFLA, its Executive Director, staff and Governing Council Members.

With my warmest regards,

Roland Amoussouga
Former Head of Office/Coordinator, UN International Commission of Inquiry on Central African Republic (CAR)

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As the only unit in the National prosecuting Authority that deals with ICC/Rome Statute related matters, it was an honour to have been invited.

Kind regards,

Adv Andrea Johnson
Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Coordinator of the Priority Crimes Litigation Unit, National Prosecution Authority, South Afrca

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I congratulate AFLA for a most successful conference held in SA, and thank you and all other colleagues at AFLA for being such gracious hosts, and for your continued support of the work of the Office.
We look forward to future collaboration.

Kind regards,

Sam Sasan Shaomanesh
Senior Special Assistant to the Prosecutor Coordinator of the Immediate Office of the Prosecutor International Criminal Court

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Just wanted to drop in to note how absolutely incredible you are and to thank you for a truly fantastic, thought-provoking, slick and seamless conference.

Such a privilege to be a part of your world and watch you do your thing with magic.

Thank you once again for the wonderful opportunity you afforded me to attend this important event. I was somewhat disappointed when I heard that Mr Ben Ferencz would not attend – having said that I hasten to state that I was immensely impressed with the high level of the participants, their lectures and your organisation skills. May we have more of it in the near future and may you include in your list especially in my home country. What further transpired is that I am at this very early onset busy organising maybe some lectures in refugee law from a South African perspective.

Regards and God bless you and Africa.

Neels Coertse
C.J. Coertse Attorney and Notary

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I hope you had a good trip back to Holland. I hope you feel very satisfied about the amazing conference you organised! It was great to get to know you a bit better. I’m also just confirming that I’ll have that chapter to you by 2 June. Thanks for inviting me to contribute. Look forward to seeing you again later in the year. All the best

Prof. Mia Swart
University of Johannesburg

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Many thanks for a wonderful panel yesterday. It was my great honor to participate – and I learned so much in the process. I hope our paths will all cross again, and that we can continue this discussion about how to coordinate SGBC accountability efforts.

For now, I share the photo Mme. Bensouda’s team so kindly took of our group after the session:

I hope that this finds you well. Let me take this early opportunity to congratulate AFLA on such a successful event this week in Johannesburg. The discussions and presentations were very enriching and simply excellent.

Thank YOU for your incredible, incredible efforts and hospitality and graciousness at the Johannesburg meeting. It was a joy to attend – I just wish I had had more time to chat with you. Am just grateful for the introduction and hope this will be the start of a long friendship and many professional intersections.

Jean-Pierre Kilenda
Lead Defence Counsel for Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui, First Acquitted Person before the ICC

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Thank you so much AFLA, Africa needs this discussion going not so much for ICC but for ourselves and the challenges we keep facing in governance and political stability demands. Who thought Burundi would give Africa a reason to reassess the rule of law, with its recent unpleasant past?

Judge Florence N M Mumba
Former Vice President International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY); Supreme Court Judge, Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC).

From left to right Don Ferencz (Son of Ben Ferencz),Convener of the Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression; Professor Shadrack Gutto, Centre for African Renaissance Studies, University of South Africa, Chair of AFLA Governing Council; Justice Richard Goldstone, First Chief Prosecutor, United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Rwanda (ICTR); Former Judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa; Judge Sanji Monageng, President, Appeals Division of the International Criminal Court (ICC); Christo Els, Senior Partner, Webber Wentzel; and Evelyn A. Ankumah.

Adv Shaun Abrahams, Office of the National Director of Public Prosecutions, National Prosecuting Authority, South Africa; Dr. Hannah Woolaver, Senior Lecturer in Public International Law, University of CapeTown; Angela Mudukuti, International Criminal Lawyer, Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC); Dr. Torie Pretorious, Priority Crimes Litigation Unit, National Prosecuting Authority, South Africa.